Reading the instructions of IEC.py[*] (which perhaps I'd port to
Ruby) I see they suggest to run something to be able to use early
binding. Is there something analogous for Ruby? I browser the docs of
WIN32OLE that offer some methods, but the usage in IEC.py is
transparent to this.
-- fxn
[*] http://www.mayukhbose.com/python/IEC/index.php
Tuning Performance
An issue with using COM objects in Python, is the matter of Late
Binding vs. Early Binding. Basically, there are two ways that a
Python COM object can access its methods and properties. These two
methods are called Late Binding and Early Binding. If a Python COM
object uses Late Binding, then every time you access a method or
property of the object, it goes through the IDispatch interface to
find the method/property, even if it is the same one being called
each time. With Early Binding, we let Python know ahead of time, what
methods and properties are available to an object. This speeds up
things significantly, especially inside loops, and the performance
gains are actually quite substantial. To enable Early Binding for the
Internet Explorer object, we need to import the Internet Explorer
library. To do this:
* In PythonWin, go to Tools --> COM Makepy Utility
* In the dialog box that pops up, scroll down till you reach
Microsoft Internet Controls. If there are multiple versions, simply
pick the latest one.
* Click on the OK button. The PythonWin environment will freeze
for a little bit, while the library is being imported. In a little
while, you should see a message on the Interactive Window that says
that a file was generated.
* You've successfully generated a Python type library for
Internet Explorer. From now on, Python will automatically use the
type library to early-bind any Internet Explorer objects.
You can get by without importing the Internet Explorer library, but
the performance gains are well worth it.